ALPHARETTA, GA - LeasePlan USA is very pleased to announce the promotion of Teri Ross to vice president, client services.

Ross, an accomplished client service professional, has 16 years of experience in business development, strategic planning, sales and marketing, contract negotiations and project management within the fleet industry.

"Teri has the unique ability to establish a vision of client services from multiple viewpoints. Her high-touch, personal approach to servicing our clients' needs has allowed the team to provide a premium level of support and consultation that makes it 'easier to leaseplan,'" said Jon J. Toups, chief sales and marketing officer.

In this new role, she will be tasked with overseeing the account management team, client activation team, Business Intelligence Reporting group and FleetDesk, the company's driver contact center. In addition, she will be responsible for Personal Mileage Reporting and ResponsePlan, the company's closed-loop issue resolution software.

Ross joined LeasePlan in 2007 as director, account management. In just a short time, she has made a significant impact on LeasePlan's approach to meeting and exceeding clients' needs. By leveraging her many years of industry experience, she blended the account management team based on skill set, and more importantly, the needs and unique requirements of our clients. By doing so, the account managers are empowered to offer the expertise and consultation that allows our clients to cut costs and create efficiencies.

Also instrumental in the creation and introduction of an account management-specific certification program, Ross promotes the consistent training and development of her staff. As part of this training program, each account manager is required to obtain certification in 12 different areas, such as customer service, client management tools, vehicle acquisition, license & title, consultative skills and various computer programs. She also encourages account managers to obtain the Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) designation. Several account managers are currently going through the program with two of them graduating recently.

Ross' combined efforts have resulted in all-time high client satisfaction and retention rates. Client satisfaction scores have increased by 19 percent since 2007 and client retention has jumped to more than 98 percent.

In addition, the client loyalty rate - based on overall satisfaction, likelihood to repurchase from LeasePlan, likelihood to recommend LeasePlan and competitive advantage - grew by 17 percent.

"I have no doubt that LeasePlan will see our service delivery continue to evolve and improve. I fully expect to see our client retention, satisfaction and loyalty ratings soar under Teri's capable leadership," said Toups.

LeasePlan USA, a subsidiary of LeasePlan Corp. N.V., is a global leader in vehicle leasing and fleet management solutions. The company, which manages 1.3 million vehicles worldwide, offers clients customized plans for total fleet cost reduction through its technologically advanced products and dedication to customer service.